An inspiring biography of a twentieth-century Tibetan yogin, The Rainbow Body: The Life and Realization of a Tibetan Yogin, Togden Ugyen Tendzin, presents the remarkable life story of Togden (a title meaning "endowed with realization") Ugyen Tendzin (1888-1962) who, at the end of his life, attained the "rainbow body." Described as the release of the physical body to the essence of the five elements leaving no material body after death, the rainbow body has been achieved by advanced Tibetan masters in the Dzogchen tradition. It is believed that the rainbow body is an immaterial body, invisible to the physical eye, that continues to exists, actively working for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Tendzin's nephew, author and Tibetan teacher, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, developed the book from extensive interviews with Tendzin and information received from one of his closest disciples. Written mainly in first person, as if Tendzin himself were retelling the events of his life, the book traces his childhood struggles and the circumstances which led him to his teacher Adzom Drugpa Drodul Pawo Dorje, one of the greatest Dzogchen masters of the last century. Describing the lessons and instructions Tendzin received from his master, the book ends with a powerful account of Tendzin's final days in 1962 when he was imprisoned by Chinese revolutionaries. Imprisoned in a small barn, he continued to practice the bodily movements, and breathing and mental concentration exercises his master had taught him, until his physical body "dissolved" into the rainbow body.

Rainbow Body: The Life and Realization of a Tibetan Yogin, Togden Ugyen Tendzin, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, North Atlantic Books, Paperback, 160 pp, $14.95

Chogyal Namkhai Norbu is a foremost representative of Tibetan culture on the present world scene. Born in Eastern Tibet in 1938, at the age of two he was recognized as a reincarnation of Adzom Drugpa, a renowned Master of the Dzogchen tradition. Still an adolescent he completed the stages of the rigorous traditional studies, both secular and religious, and received teachings from some of the greatest masters of his time. In 1960 he was invited to Italy by Professor Tucci, a leading figure in early Italian Tibetological studies, to collaborate with the ISMEO. (Institute for Studies of the Middle and Extreme Orient) in Rome. From 1962 to 1992 he taught Tibetan and Mongolian language and literature at the Institute for Oriental Studies of the University of Naples, and became known among scholars for his vast knowledge of the ancient history and literature of Tibet.

In the mid seventies Chogyal Namkhai Norbu began transmitting the Dzogchen teaching of which is considered one of the most important living masters. In 1981 he founded the International Dzogchen Community, a worldwide association of people interested in the knowledge and practice of the ancient spiritual path. In 1988 he founded A.S.I.A {Association for Solidarity in Asia), a governmental organization which implements projects of cooperation and solidarity in Tibet as well as in other troubled regions of the world. In 1991, in the presence of HH the XIV Dalai Lama, in Merigat, the seat of the Dzogchen Community in Italy, he founded the Shang Shung International Institute for Tibetan Studies, whose aim is to preserve Tibetan culture in its manifold forms. For the last 30 years, Chogyal Mankhai Norbu has been constantly teaching, responding to invitations to give lectures and lead retreats from all over the world. He is the author of numerous books, translated and published in all languages.

CONTENTS: The Rainbow Body
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE		vii
1.	Birth and Childhood	3
2.	Depression and Madness	9
3.	Meeting with Adzom Drugpa and Receiving Teachings	11
4.	Solitary Retreats	15
5.	Trial by the Chinese	17
6.	Back to Adzom Gar	23
7.	Life as a Wandering Yogi	27
8.	Adzom Drugpa's Final Instructions	29
9.	Years of Retreats and Wandering with Pema Kundrol	33
10.	Birth of Chogyal Namkhai Norbu	37
11.	Invitation from the King of Derge	39
12.	Showing Miraculous Powers	45
13.	Practicing and Teaching	47
14.	Last Years and Realization of the Rainbow Body	51
APPENDIX A. The Life of Adzom Drugpa by Lhundrub Tso		57
APPENDIX B. The Life of Lhundrub Tso by Jamyang Chodron		71
APPENDIX C. The Royal Lineage of Derge		81
NOTES		81
BIBLIOGRAPHY		117
INDEXES
	Names	123
	Places	129
	Terms and Expressions	133
	Texts Cited	137
ABOUT THE AUTHOR		139